Apparatus for fastening artificial legs on the body.



F. C. BECK.

APPARATUS FOR FASTENING ARTIFICIAL LEGS ON THE BODY.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I, I918.

Patentsd Dec. 24, 1918.

m: mums runs co. nmmuino. wAsnlllnmm u c UNIT TAT A APPARATUS FOR FASTENING ARTIFICIAL LEGS ON THE BODY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

Application filed July 1, 1918. Serial No. 242,803.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH OoNRAD BECK, a citizen of the Republic of Swltzerland, residing at Seuzach, near Winterthur, in the canton of Zurich, Republic of Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Fastening Artificial Legs on the Body; and I do here by declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The artificial limbs'hitherto employed are fastened on the body of the patient by means of a suspender fixed directly on the casing of the artificial leg. This manner of fastening has two disadvantages, namely first: when the suspender is pulled tightly, the patient is exposed to a painful pressure from the suspender, and secondly, when the suspender is slack, the artificial leg slides downward along the stump and impedes the going by touching the ground. The mentioned sliding of the artificial leg gradually chafes the leg stump. My improved apparatus for fastening artificial legs on the body is designed to prevent the said inconveniences.

A constructional form of this invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.

a designates the casing of the artificial leg, and b designates the stump of the amputated leg which is inserted in the casing a. The suspender c has one of its ends secured to the casing a, passes over the shoulder of the patient and has its other end secured to the arm (Z of a lever (Z. The

- aXle e of the lever (Z is located in the casing a and the arm (Z of said lever holds a disklike supportf for the stump Z). 9 are springs connecting the support 7 with the casing. These springs tend to draw the support 7' toward the stump b and, through the lever d, also tend to maintain the suspender taut.

In the drawing the artificial leg is illustrated in lowered position and not bearing the weight of the body. The length of the suspender 0 is so adjusted that the latter is taut in the lowered position of the artificial leg and in this position the casing a lies one centimeter or so below the most raised position. The casing comes into raised position as soon as the weight of the body is shifted to the artificial leg. When the artificial leg is bearing the weight of the body,

the stump sinks in the casing, and presses down the support By this movement of the support f the springs g are lengthened, the arm (Z is raised, and the suspender is loosened. To accomplish this result, the length of the arm (Z is about double the length of arm (Z and therefore the way of the point of application of the suspender on the arm (Z is double the way of the arm (Z or the point of application of the support f. From the foregoing it will be seen that the body of the. patient is discharged of the pressure exerted by the suspender. In case the end of the stump is too sensitive to bear against the support 7, a ring-shaped seat (not shown) for the stump may be provided between the stump and support f. It will be seen that when the stump is resting on the support f, the strap 0 will be loosened.

Instead of one end of the suspender being fastened to the casing a, it could be fastened to a lever similar .to the lever cZcZ and such lever would have its other end connected with the support The apparatus can also be employed i1 cases where muscles of the stump of a natural leg are used as sources of force, and is also capable of use for bearing an artificial limb, for instance according to the method of Dr. Sauerbruch.

hat I claim is:

1. The combination with an artificial leg, of a support yieldingly held within the body of the leg and adapted to be engaged by the end of the leg stump, a suspender having one of its ends connected to the artificial leg and its other end in operative connection with said support, whereby when the weight of the body rests on said support said strap will be loosened.

2. The combination with an artificial leg, of a support yieldingly held within the body of the artificial leg and adapted to be engaged by the end of the leg stump, a sus pender having one of its ends connected to the artificial leg and adapted to pass over the users shoulder, a lever pivoted in the artificial leg and having one of its ends concasing and having one of its ends secured to the support, and a suspender secured at 10 one end to the artificial leg, adapted to pass over the users shoulder and having its other end connected to the other end of the lever.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my' name to this specification.

FRIEDRICH CONRAD BECK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

